Pop

NYC-Based Rapper Anik Khan Is Empowering 'Brown America' in Hip-Hop

Rapper Anik Khan is bringing “Brown America” to the forefront with his Bangladeshi-inspired hip-hop music.

Presented in partnership with Visible: If Anik Khan isn't on your radar, you're behind and need to give him a listen. This up-and-coming rapper is creating his own lane by mixing his Queens upbringing with his Bangladeshi roots in his hip-hop inspired music.

“I naturally have a more eastern, melodic tone because I grew up listening to Bengali music and you know, Bollywood music and things like that,” he explained. “With world music being attainable and steaming music being able to let people hear the music of afro beat culture and dancehall, things like that, for me, the production is where I start so if I want to introduce someone to a South Asian rhythm, or pattern, I’ll bring it through a drum…”

In songs like “Habibi,” “YRI,” and “Bix Fax,” you can hear his Middle Eastern influence while he tackles topics of identity, heritage, and being a Brown dude from Queens. At the end of the day, he's grateful for the platform he's been given and happy to trail-blaze for other artists of colors—even when it's challenging for marketing execs to understand the importance of his influence.